Advice on traveling aids

junglejim

junglejim

0
Site Supporter
Joined
Apr 26, 2012
Messages
2,128
Location
Northern WI
Bike
Tiger 800, NT sold
Looking for a little advice on traveling aids. Choice is between a GPS or smartphone. And then, of course, which GPS? Mostly what I want is something to help me find a motel a hundred miles down the road and reserve a room. My current GPS identifies motels along a route, but gives no contact info. Finding attractions along the way would be good too.

First of all I'm "old school". I've operated for years off paper maps while traveling. I do have a cheap GPS for my car. It is about usless on the bike though. I don't use any audio or bluetooth devices in my helmet. I have 2 cell phones, TracPhone works OK except where I live, and GoPhone works at home but almost nowhere west of here.

I've looked at the Garmin site and considered Zumo and Nuvi models. Most have way more capability than I'll ever use. And I probably won't use it much on the bike while in motion. I find it pretty dangerous to divide my attention while riding.

Looks like the smartphone would solve two needs, but cost plenty each month (I can only ride about 6 months per year). The GPS costs more, but only once and it doesn't make calls in poor coverage areas.

Should I just stay with paper maps or just stay home?
 
Everyone has different opinions on this topic. I like my Zumo 550 because it can take me where I want to go and can also find gas stations, hotels, places to eat and local attractions. I do not use the blue tooth. I use noise canceling ear buds that plug into the Zumo and also block out other noise. I don't find it too distracting. I do carry a seperate cell phone but keep it in my pocket for use off the bike. The Zumo can also be used in your car if you want to get more use out of it to justify the cost. I believe Garmin has added several new Zumo's to the line and I would not be surprised if the 550 will be retired.
 
Last edited:
Well.....

I use all three, paper maps, smart phone and GPS.

I use the paper maps to plan the ride and plan stops during the ride (I also use Google maps on the computer for planning routes). GPS is to keep me on course. Smart phone is for phone calls (duh :) ) and for the reasons you suggested.

If it was an 'either or' for me it would be the smart phone. I use mine all the time, not just when riding. It is perfect when the wife wants to shop for shoes or jeans. I just sit in the car and surf the net for a bit, or, read a book (mine usually has six or seven books loaded in it at any one time).

If you use the smart phone for a GPS, download a full set of maps for the US and then it won't have to be in a 3G service area to work well, ie, it will work just like a GPS. Get the full set of POI's while you are at it and might as well load all the Honda dealer POI's as well. (POI=points of interest, a fancy name for locating places).
 
junglejim said:
Yep - I think the 550 is a gone-er.
Click to expand...

The Zumo 350LM appears to be its replacement and it does come with life time maps which the 550 did not. While $700 is a lot to pay its less than the $1000 that the 550 originally went for. I have read that many think GPS specific devices are not long for this world. With the capability that they are developing for smart phones many people are now just clipping their smart phone into a car holder and use the GPS in it rather than a seperate GPS device. Technologhy changes faster than I can keep up. I feel like I am always a generation behind.
 
I've got an oldie but goodie GPS, the Garmin Street Pilot 2720. It's got sound, but I don't use it. It doesn't have XM radio (which is the main thing that would convince me to buy a newer GPS.

One of my main gripes about Garmin is that every time they "improve" their GPses, it seems like the delete a feature I like. When Rick and I do our Epic Ride next year, I'll probably dig out my old GPS V just as a backup.
 
RedNigel said:
Talk more about the noise cancelling earbuds
Click to expand...

Mine are model ER6i. They are made by Etymotic Research. To clarify they actually go into the ear canal so ear bud might not be the correct term. I also think my model has been replaced by a newer one. Go to their web site and you will see they have a lot of options.
 
Well, ol' Phil doesn't just have one trick to play. He carries Rand McNally's laminated state maps as well as that GPS. They fit just great in the map case on top of my Bags Connnection City Bag. They don't have all the little roads, but they've got nearly everything I've ever ridden.

Plus, with the location of my GPS, front and center on top of my handle bar clamp, I can take quick glances without endangering myself too much.
 
I've even seen one rider texting on a cell phone! Go figure.

Good night again.
 
I have used my old Droid X, and now a Driod Razr Maxx, smart phone as a GPS fairly successfully. But there are two issues I have when using it... First, it works great in areas with 3G or 4G coverage. But when I head in to the North Georgia mountains the poor cellular data coverage causes it to either stop working, or to update so slowly it becomes useless. Second, depending upon what data plan you have it can be very expensive using a smartphone as a GPS. Verizon used to charge around $6 a month just to turn on Navigator plus the associated data fees. I have an unlimited data plan so that isn't a big issue for me but I refuse to pay $6 a month for a marginal GPS... So I use Google Maps, which are free, and only incur data fees.

I have an old Magellan 4210 GPS I "recycled" out of a car I now use on the bikes. A RAM handlebar mount worked just fine on the NT. If it started really raining I'd pull it off and toss it in my tank bag. I only use it for position checking when stopped to verify my location anyway...

I still use paper maps as well. I get a free state map at the Welcome Centers and throw it away when I leave the state. I also use, and highly recommend, Motor Adventure Destination Maps "MAD Maps" which are made for motorcyclists and have a lot of good info the traditional maps do not. You can also download an app for MAD Maps if you want to use a smart phone...
 
I'm reading all these posts with interest. And I'm concluding that what I've been doing is just fine. Sometimes I think we just have too much information to keep track of. When I have to get somewhere I take the highways. You can't get lost on the interstate. When on the back roads I have the most fun. They're not always on the map (or GPS) and they're often not on my planned route. Just exploring. I used to ride with a partner and we would plan the next day's route each evening. But we never stuck to the plan. We would always get sidetracked by something along the way. Those were the best trips. We found lots of interesting roads and places. If those places were on a POI list I don't know what they would have been called. If you want to know what is over the next hill, just go there. No GPS can describe it well anyway.

HOWEVER, for tracking road construction sites, detours, current conditions, developing thunderstorms and weather events, and communicating with others are all great reasons to be electronically equiped. I can always upgrade my old cell phone and GPS. I just blew a wad on a new NT, maybe a new GPS is affordable too.
 
I'll Throw my two cents in as well.

I am new to this whole tech-min-ology thing for motorcycles. I finally got a smart phone last year. I used to ride with written directions stuffed in a pocket somewhere.

I have sense gotten a Garmin 550 after consulting a friend who makes a living by traveling. The GPS is limited. You still need to have some idea of where what you are looking for is. Other wise the GPS will get you lost. I have found that the Garmin will convert to a map style screen when you tap the screen. This I have found useful for when I get with in either city limits or with in a certain distance of a location. I also use a blutooth head set and the music player function on the Garmin. You can link your phone (provided it has blue tooth ablity) to the Garmin so that if you have a call coming through you can see who it is. You can also listen, but not talk to the person if you choose to "answer" it.

I am not going to rely on my cellphone for directions, just because I have a cheap carrier. I have Metro PCS. While I have no coverage complaints, the coverage is limited and no where near as strong as say Verison. But I can't justify to myself paying twice what I pay now when I don't fully utilize what I do have.
 
I no longer use paper maps or charts for driving or flying. When I need routing information on my bike or car (and sometimes even afoot) I use my Zumo 660. I don't always use it, but I find that getting turn prompts audibly in unfamiliar areas is less distracting. Out on the open highway it becomes less necessary ("drive 147 miles, then keep right"). And it's right up by my eye level when I could use a visual aid, like the fact that I will be taking a left exit and the 2 left lanes can be used.

Paper maps typically wind up under a plastic cover that doesn't fully protect you from the rain. And they're a fixed scale, don't often show 1-way streets, and are not self-illuminated and don't show speed limits. This last feature I've found handy out in speed-trap country where speed limits signs sometimes go missing.
 
So, does that mean you leave your cell phone at home too? :) After all, you don't really need it. You can go for weeks without making a phone call. In an emergency you can hoof it. ;) When you are in the middle of nowhere and you need gas, look up on the map where the nearest station is, on a Sunday morning. How do you figure out from a map if that little dot of a town has a gas station or not? And how can you tell if it is open? Or if there is someplace to eat? My GPS has "saved" me twice in instances like that. Yep, you can research before you leave home, but what happens if you decide to change your route, or an emergency changes it for you?

I went for many years with just a map and compass, actually just a map, compasses don't work when you're in 60 tons of armored vehicle :) What I like to have most is a nice set of 1:50,000 maps of everywhere I am going to be. Actually, a set of 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 is even better. But, a roll of maps that size won't fit on my bike for even a one day trip.

Yep, survived for many years without a cell phone, and without internet or a computer. But, I do love to have them. They have saved me many thousands of dollars and have saved me hundreds of man hours. GPS serves the same kind of purpose.

And road maps are fine, but, when I really need them is in a town where the intersection coming up determines if I go the wrong way or not. 90% of the time the map shows the town as a dot and doesn't show the two turns needed. Or that construction has changed the road completely. And if you miss the 1ft square sign in town, then you miss the turn. Of it you don't know that US60 is called Double Deuce in the town you are driving through, then you don't find the turn. I admit that this isn't all that important if you're on a bike and aren't worried about getting someplace on time. When I am driving my truck and trailer it is no longer a simple matter of making a U-turn. On one trip (before GPS) I had to drive 20 miles before I found a place big enough to turn around. That happened to be the trip that got me to buy a GPS. Am usually not without one now.

I will probably migrate to my phone and paper maps. Download the full set of US maps to the phone and that way I don't need cell service for it to work as a GPS. The only issue remaining is trying to read the screen in sunlight. Will probably make a custom mount for it with sun shield and maybe an anti-glare shield as well.

So, for those who want to go without a GPS feel free. For others you do have choices. Dedicated GPS or phone. Motorcycle specific GPS or el cheapo car type. Bluetooth or plain. XM radio or not. MP3 player or not. etc, etc

I still wish I could find an el cheapo that can be read in direct sunlight (and I can still get map upgrades). I'd buy it today.

And yes, I still put the map in my tank bag. I do love them, and, there is always the slight chance the phone and GPS will crap out on me. Kinda the same reason I carry tools and an air pump. ;)
 
Falcon, - have to agree with you that in general the population has been brain washed into believing that the "have" to have certain things. But the flip side is that those things are also very useful. They are also a control mechanism. If you have an entire population dependent on GPS to get them some where, you can direct them around or away from things as well... oh that well can get very deep so I am going to leave it alone.

I finally got a GPS and smart phone for the usefulness of them. The smart phone allows me to not be dependent on a computer and internet connection to stay in contact with the lawyer and general contractor re-doing my house. The GPS is a bit of peace of mind in the crazy world for if I do decide to get myself lost on this trip to South Dakota I can at least find a gas station. For some Odd reason as long as I have money and can get gas getting lost on a motorcycle doesn't bother me.

Can I live with out technology; definitely and better than most but not as well as some. As long as I can say that I will keep the convenience and ease that comes with the technology Thank You.
 
A buddy has a GPS that he has lots of routes saved for trips on the back roads that jump all over the map. Here in New England there are lots of small roads without route numbers that can be awesome rides if you remember all the turns.

Would not need a GPS to go to Florida from here on I95.

Your desires may be different than mine. Enjoy your ride.
 
I'm so fed up with my Droid "smart" phone that I'm glad I'm not counting on it for ANYTHING. Mine freezes, shuts itself off, won't connect to other networks. I'm sure there are setup issues and software issues, but it's the first technology I've really hated. My plan is up on July 9th, but I'm not waiting till then. They will do something about it tomorrow or I'll change carriers.
 
BTW, I will get a SPOT before the Epic Ride. Not so much because I'm afraid we'll need it, but to give people a chance to follow along on where we are. My wife will have to depend on others to keep her informed, because she probably wouldn't look at the computer just for some trivial detail like that. I'll use Spotwalla to post the tracks.

My brother is through-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with a SPOT and forgets to push the button. He's gone for as long as six days without remembering to do that. I'm totally not worried about his safety, but my curiosity gets frustrated when he doesn't show me where he's camping at night.
 
Phil, what carrier are you using. My Droid 2 has been trouble free. I am changing to the new Galaxy SIII this month, mainly to get the better keyboard connection and larger screen.

I have a tracking service on the Droid. It works only when in cell range, but, wife never uses it to follow me either. But, I like that it is there.

Rick, I do understand not wanting to carry a phone or have any electronic devices. One of my annual trips is a long weekend of camping and hunting, solo. No cell service even if I wanted to have a phone. A lot of hiking in steep terrain. My only link back is when I log in and out at the ranger station 20 miles away. I do carry my phone, but only because it has all my books on it that I read in the evenings.

I did get a chuckle on my last ride to Boulder. Pulled off for a rest and a guy on a GS beemer asked for directions. He had a map in his case but couldn't figure out where he was. And, he couldn't figure out how to make his iPhone tell him where he was. I pointed out the location. I then strongly advised him to not go out on any trails until he learned how to use his maps. To top it all off he had a set of 1:25000 maps for a trail ride, and he had no real idea of how to use them. I think he figured all the terrain features would have signs on them to match the maps :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom